If you choose to work as a touring
bassist, you set yourself up
for several unavoidable situations.
The first is that your gigs will
not always be very glamorous.
The second is that guitarists will
always get the attention. The
third—unless you play for the
Grateful Dead—is you will have
downtime when you aren’t touring.
I can’t help you with the first
two—and the third is not any
easier to address—but you can
use downtime to your advantage.
Touring schedules differ
according to style and region,
but here in Nashville (with some
big-name exceptions), touring
generally slows down from
November through March. I
learned the hard way that touring
schedules don’t stay full all year,
and you have to budget your
touring income accordingly to get
through the leaner months. I can’t
tell you how many guys here in
town buy new gear in May, only
to sell at a loss in December.
There are a lot of variables
that contribute to the slowing
of touring. The artist may want
a break, there may not be any
new material to promote, or
the shows may just be acoustic
promotional shows for radio. For
the latter, the artist usually takes
only one or two players while
the rest of the band sits at home.
But fear not, because there are
many productive (and sometimes
profitable) ways to stay occupied
during the slow months.
When I see my calendar is not
that busy, instead of counting
shows I have, I count the days I
don’t have anything planned. I
see them as “opportunity days”
and begin thinking about all the
things I can do on those days off.
That’s a reversal of normal thinking.
If you do this, you’ll soon
realize you can now accomplish
those things you put off during
your busy season.
Now, during your not-busy
season, what are you going to
work on? I suggest starting with
small goals and then moving on
to the more ambitious ones. Do
you need to dump those 4-track
cassette demos from high school
into your new recording software?
How is your gear holding
up? You could probably clean
three layers of state-fair dirt from
the inside of your rack. What
about your basses? This could
be a great time to upgrade some
hardware or pickups. Knock
out the busywork tasks that are
within your grasp, then you can
get to the fun stuff.
The fun stuff is making
money while doing something
that you are probably already
doing. The first and most obvious
way to make money while
not on the road is to take local
gigs. They don’t pay nearly as
much, and there are probably
tons of cover songs to learn, but
you can handle it. In Nashville,
like many towns, playing locally
can open other players’ ears and
eyes to you, which may lead to
a better gig next year. Lower
Broadway in Nashville, a section
of downtown famous for its
country bars, is sort of the farm
system for touring acts. If you
can make it there, who knows
what could be next?
Teaching is another way to
make good use of your time, and
I have heard of players taking on
40 or more students during the
off-season. That can add up to
rent money quickly, and again,
you’ll be making money with
a bass in your hand. If you are
tech savvy, teaching lessons via
Skype is becoming increasingly
popular, since you don’t have to
be in a particular town to have
a bunch of students. If you feel
your playing isn’t at a level to
teach, you could volunteer at a
school program and help someone
who is just getting started.
The checking account won’t necessarily
fill up, but your karma
bank will.
A moment ago, I mentioned
recording software. It seems
every musician has some way to
get sounds onto a computer. If
you are proficient with recording
software and tracking your
own demos, why not branch
out and record other musicians?
I am sure there is a songwriter
or band in your town in need
of such services. Put on your
producer/engineer hat and share
some of your good ideas with
the artists you are working with.
Bass players make good producers
(I have no scientific data to
back this), so if you are working
with songwriters, maybe you
can lay some bass tracks down
for them. Now, not only are you
recording someone (and hopefully
getting paid), but your bass
work is being heard by others.
This could very well lead to
more studio work.
Why didn’t I mention studio
work earlier? Plenty of players
here work both in the studio and
on the road, but sometimes you
have to make a choice. There has
been an unwritten rule that studio
guys don’t tour and touring
guys don’t track. This entrenched
system is actually going away,
due in part to guys wanting to
work as much as they can. In
smaller towns, the competition
may not be as fierce, so you may
have more opportunity to get
session work than you know. The
best way to “get in” is to start
reaching out to producers and
letting them know you are going
to be home and available for session
work. If there is a studio in
your area, just reach out to the
owner or engineers and provide
them with the best samples of
your work. If you don’t have
anything recorded, this is a great
time to put together a demo.
Remember, just because you
have to look for other things to
keep yourself busy or find other
sources of income, it does not
take anything away from your
musicianship or your place in the
universe. And you don’t have to
be a full-time musician to take
advantage of these suggestions.
If you have time and want to get
into some different musical ventures,
there’s nothing stopping
you. If you are in a van while
reading this, make some notes of
things you want to do when you
get home. Then fill those holes
in the calendar by working when
you aren’t working!
Steve Cook is currently
fortifying himself
in the back of a tour
bus, awaiting the low-end
revolution. He can
be reached at
info@shinybass.com until the
coast is clear.